Niger

Niger officially the Republic of Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east.

Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced
single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali Saibou was
forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted
in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the
government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim
BARE. In 1999, BARE was killed in a counter coup by military officers
who restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou Tandja to power in December of that year. Tandja was reelected in 2004
and in 2009 spearheaded a constitutional amendment that would allow him
to extend his term as president. In February 2010, a military coup
deposed Tandja, immediately suspended the constitution, and dissolved
the Cabinet. Issoufou Mahamadou emerged victorious from a crowded field
in the election following the coup and was inaugurated in April 2011.
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal
government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base.
The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently
disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. The
Nigerien Movement for Justice, a predominantly ethnic Tuareg rebel
group, emerged in February 2007, and attacked several military targets
in Niger's northern region throughout 2007 and 2008. Successful
government offensives in 2009 ended the rebellion. Niger is facing
increased security concerns on its borders from various external threats
including insecurity in Libya, spillover from the conflict in Mali, and
violent extremism in northeastern Nigeria.

Overview: Niger
is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on
subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium
deposits. Agriculture contributes about one-third of GDP and provides
livelihood for about nine-tenths of the population. Drought,
desertification, and strong population growth have undercut the economy.
Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central
bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other
members of the West African Monetary Union. Debt relief has
significantly reduced Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing
funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS
prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty
reduction. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from
foreign donor resources. The economy in recent years has been hurt by
terrorist activity and kidnappings near its uranium mines and
instability in Mali. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of
oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Niger has sizable reserves
of oil and oil production, which began in 2012, along with refining,
and exports are expected to grow through 2016. However, oil revenues
have fallen well short of predictions, mainly because of logistical
challenges. Food insecurity and drought remain perennial problems for
Niger. The mining sector may be affected by the government’s attempt to
renegotiate extraction rights contracts.

international disputes: Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the
Tommo region; location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved;
only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's
admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty that also includes the
Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries; the dispute with Burkina Faso
was referred to the ICJ in 2010

refugees (country of origin):49,770 (Mali); 10,044 (Nigeria)

internally displaced persons: undetermined
(unknown how many of the 11,000 people displaced by clashes between
government forces and the Tuareg militant group, Niger Movement for
Justice, in 2007 are still displaced; inter-communal violence)